Chuck is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Under the Empyrean Sky, Blue Blazes, Double Dead, Bait Dog,Dinocalypse Now, Beyond Dinocalypse and Gods & Monsters: Unclean Spirits. He also the author of the soon-to-be-published novels: The Cormorant, Blightborn (Heartland Book #2), Heartland Book #3, Dinocalypse Forever, Frack You, and The Hellsblood Bride. Also coming soon is his compilation book of writing advice from this very blog: The Kick-Ass Writer, coming from Writers Digest.

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.

Chuck has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture.

Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.

He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human.

He is likely drunk and untrustworthy. This blog is NSFW and probably NSFL.

Related

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. This is his blog. He talks a lot about writing. And food. And pop culture. And his kid. He uses lots of naughty language. NSFW. Probably NSFL. Be advised.

Flash Fiction Challenges: Ten Little Chapters

This week’s challenge is simple in description, but perhaps complex in execution.

It is about pacing and arrangement.

A piece of flash fiction is usually treated in a certain way — it’s short, so it uses the brevity of the form to often capture a snapshot in time.

We’re going to open that up a little bit.

You still have 1000 words.

But you’re going to break that up into 10 chapters.

Now, ostensibly that works out to about 100 words per chapter, though variation on that is fine. However you see fit to make it work. The goal here is to maintain brevity but increase scope. Can you tell a larger story in a smaller space? Does breaking it up make that easier — or harder?

Otherwise, standard rules apply.

Any genre will do.

Post at your blog, then drop a link in the comments here to that blog.

I did it. I struggled, but I made it. I really don’t know if it’s any good; I’ve never tried my hand at writing horror before. Then again, I’m not sure it qualifies as horror. At any rate, thanks, Chuck, for stretching me with this one.

I don’t usually leave a comment (that would interfere with my lurker status 😉 but I wanted to say that I enjoyed your story. It was just the sort of thing I like, suspenseful with a bit of a twist ending, and all in only a thousand words.

I typed up 10 separate chapters, saved them as that in a file called ‘Ten Little Chapters’, then opened a document and opened them up one at a time and cut them pasted them one at a time… it was frustrating and difficult, but it was worth it! 😀

I really like your story. You did a great job of the chapters. Nice pacing and very creepy. Though I have to agree with AJ’s comment on your blog, that you shouldn’t have spoiled that it was about a car. But nevermind, I think this is my favorite story of yours.

Wow, just wow. This one was crazy tough. I wrote the ten chapters at exactly one hundred words each per Chuck’s flash fiction prompt. I figured I would make this introduction a hundred words as well, just because I can. I had intended for this story to go a different direction, but well… Ya know. The origin of the chip assassin came from my buddy who happens to also be the main protagonist in my novella, Forlorn Hope. There are still plenty of cliches, goofy comedy and oh, did I mention cliches? This one’s for you Garret. Here’s Chip Assassin:

Ooh, I like the idea. Reminds me of some of the formats I’ve seen used to write fanfic. Maybe I’ll actually remember to write something this week… missed the last week just because I lost track of time.

“I’d been stalking these streets for seven weeks before I found it: The Viennese Swirl, a priceless artifact crafted by the Hapsburgs and kept in the vaults of Hofburg Palace for over two hundred years. Guarded by laser sensors, a hundred cameras, two elite units and surrounded by a glass plate thick enough to take anything except a forty cal bullet point blank. For two hundred years it had been secure, right up until two months ago.

I haven’t took part in challanges for a while, but woah, this one really made me work hard! I am so glad that it happened, because I had a chance to work on a story I left unfinished some time ago. Now I feel much better with getting through this.

A rasa (Sanskrit: रस lit. ‘juice’ or ‘essence’) denotes an essential mental state and is the dominant emotional theme of a work of art or the primary feeling that is evoked in the person that views, reads or hears such a work.

There are eight or nine or eleven Rasas, depending on who you ask. The commonest count is nine. So my story has ten chapters: one prologue and nine chapters representing nine Rasas.

I gave myself two more targets:
1. Each chapter will have exactly 100 words, bringing the total to 1,000.
2. I’ll use the Rasas in the order that they are mentioned in The Natya Shastra.

I liked this one- it’s more of my style. 🙂 I liked how there were a lot of indicators, but no actual words. I got a little lost on Chapter 2- I had to go back and re-read it to get it. But when I got it I surprised I missed it the first time.
Cheers

This one really hurt my brain at first. After a while, though, I started getting felt like the beginnings of a pretty cool story.

‘Isolated Incidents’ is comprised of excerpts from the journal of Gregory Titor, a man sent back in time by Project Well Spring to the end of World War 2. His primary question: Now that time travel has been achieved, why don’t we see any other time travelers here among us?

I swear, I think Wendig and I are on the same wavelength. Tuesday on the way to work, I thought about a few story angles for a short story I wanted to write about a new character. By Thursday, I’d already jotted down the path the story would take.

On Friday, Wendig posted this week’s flash fiction challenge. While the story is not as vignette-y as I had originally planned, it is told as I’d envisioned it on Tuesday. It clocks in at 980 words.

This challenge ended up working really well for an idea that popped into my head awhile ago – so thanks. I ended up rushing the end due to space so I’m not in love with it – will change if I end up expanding the story.

Well this was my fastest written flash fiction since I started a little over a year ago. I will leave it up to you to judge if that is good or bad. But I think it was a fun challenging challenge. And I can’t wait to read what others have written.

I really enjoyed this challenge. Last time I wrote for a Chuck Wendig flash fiction prompt, I had a story with a sad ending. I decided to flip it and have a story with a sad beginning. Please let me know your comments/criticism, I appreciate every critique.

Wow, that’s a high compliment Mark, thank you. I’m curious, did you decide on a human behaviors degree to help your writing? I’m always interested in the routes people take to round out their writing 🙂

That’s awesome. I actually took some acting classes back in college and have found it extremely helpful for really getting in my characters’ heads. Good luck with your last semester, if I ever have a question on human behavior I know who I’ll contact 😀

Excellent, excellent, excellent work. I’ve enjoyed all of your stuff I’ve read to different degrees, but this one is my favorite, which is odd since it’s not spec fiction or scifi fantasy. Really great work.

Btw, the part about watching his favorite movie hit me right in the gut.

This is really, really good. Very clever presentation with the entries and I loved the crossing out. Also enjoyed the way the progress of each entry marked the progression of grief. Thanks for a great read!

I was going to pass and just write something random this week. Too hard. Too many sections for a piece this short. Pass. Then it hit me while I was taking my morning shower: you know what else has lots of tiny little chapters?

Choose Your Own Adventures.

Hence, “Don’t Forget The Milk.”

As it turns out, writing Choose Your Own Adventures is REALLY FUCKING HARD. Went 300 words over but not inclined to trim anything because it would kill the flow of the game.

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Also, I just noticed I was missing a win condition: milk, but no bread. Curses, now it’s even MORE over the 1000 word limit. But structurally complete.

Anyway, it was fun (and weird) to write, more like programming than fiction. I had to diagram it before I could even start writing. It really makes you respect the original CYA authors we grew up with. I can’t imagine what structuring an entire 200 pg YA CYA book must have been like, particularly before computers.

Thank you kindly! I have linked my story to the Wikipedia page for those that visit to read. I find Kelpies brilliantly creepy in the way that only Gaelic/Celtic folklore can produce. I’m pleased you enjoyed your visit!

Awesome challenge – really got the grey matter working. I was going down the vampire route for this but the word “scope” kept resounding in my head and then I got the idea for a 1000 word space opera! How’d that happen?